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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Tarena Shaw has just finished her Law degree but isn't sure if she wants to be a lawyer after all. What place does a black lawyer have in a white system? Does everyone in Sydney feel like a turtle without a shell? Drawn to Thursday Island, the home of her grandparents, Tarena is persuaded by her family to take on her first case. Part of the evidence is a man with a guitar and a very special song... Butterfly Song moves from the pearling days in the Torres Strait to the ebb and flow of big city life, with a warm and funny modern heroine whose story reaches across cultures.
Source: Author's website.
Notes
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Dedication: To my mother, Joanna Jaima: from a mother's song a child finds her own voice. And in memory of my grandparents, Modesta and Kitchell.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also e-book.
Works about this Work
-
Making Space for Torres Strait Islander Expression
2021
single work
essay
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , March 2021;'Growing up on mainland Australia, I’ve struggled to find places where Torres Strait Islander stories are being told. I want to respectfully advocate for Torres Strait Islanders while acknowledging whose land I live on.'
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The Literary Transformation of Memory Across Generations
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 12 no. 2 2013; (p. 230-238)'Artistic and cultural representations of space, place, memory, and belonging are some of the fundamental aspects of fictional narratives. This paper focuses on how the tropics evolve as a place of belonging in Terri Janke’s Butterfly song through literary transformation of generational memories of personal and family experiences combined with historical fact. The notion of the tropics as ‘different’ is examined through complex relationships between the place where the protagonist, Tarena Shaw, lives in Sydney;
the place that she calls home, Cairns; and the place of her ancestors, Thursday Island in the Torres Straits. Layers of memory unfold through family stories revisited in the context of contemporary cultural life to ensure the return of a pearl brooch lost for nearly forty years. Components of culture, a love story, a connection of things to ancestors and people, and the history of the Torres Straits and Cairns are the foci of Janke’s novel. These features demonstrate how multiple perspectives of place and memory can
enrich the literary imagination and in turn, enlighten Australian readers to the historical past and present life of tropical North Queensland. ' (Publication abstact)
-
Towards an Australian 'Voice'
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 16 May vol. 16 no. 4 2006;
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel ; Behind the Moon 2005 single work novel -
Untitled
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Spring vol. 13 no. 3 2005; (p. 44-45)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel -
Untitled
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 4 no. 2005; (p. 222-224)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel
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Paperbacks
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Canberra Sunday Times , 2 January 2005; (p. 19)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel -
All There in Black and White
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 19-20 February 2005; (p. 14)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel -
Facing Evil Head-On
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 26 February 2005; (p. 9)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel ; Winter Journey : A Novel 2005 single work novel -
The Gathering Spirit
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 269 2005; (p. 39)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel -
A Butterfly's Song Echoes Through Time
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 19 - 20 March 2005; (p. 7)
— Review of Butterfly Song 2005 single work novel -
Defender of Legends
2005
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12-13 February 2005; (p. 12) -
Lawyer Courts Literary Fame
2005
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 23 February no. 345 2005; (p. 34) -
The Literary Transformation of Memory Across Generations
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 12 no. 2 2013; (p. 230-238)'Artistic and cultural representations of space, place, memory, and belonging are some of the fundamental aspects of fictional narratives. This paper focuses on how the tropics evolve as a place of belonging in Terri Janke’s Butterfly song through literary transformation of generational memories of personal and family experiences combined with historical fact. The notion of the tropics as ‘different’ is examined through complex relationships between the place where the protagonist, Tarena Shaw, lives in Sydney;
the place that she calls home, Cairns; and the place of her ancestors, Thursday Island in the Torres Straits. Layers of memory unfold through family stories revisited in the context of contemporary cultural life to ensure the return of a pearl brooch lost for nearly forty years. Components of culture, a love story, a connection of things to ancestors and people, and the history of the Torres Straits and Cairns are the foci of Janke’s novel. These features demonstrate how multiple perspectives of place and memory can
enrich the literary imagination and in turn, enlighten Australian readers to the historical past and present life of tropical North Queensland. ' (Publication abstact)
-
Making Space for Torres Strait Islander Expression
2021
single work
essay
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , March 2021;'Growing up on mainland Australia, I’ve struggled to find places where Torres Strait Islander stories are being told. I want to respectfully advocate for Torres Strait Islanders while acknowledging whose land I live on.'
- Thursday Island, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland,